Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in the Kansas Flint Hills is one of the most important natural preserves in North America — protecting a rare remnant of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem that once blanketed some 170 million acres across the central plains but now survives on less than four percent of its original range. The 10,894-acre preserve in the scenic Flint Hills protects rolling expanses of bluestem grass and wildflowers, sheltered creek valleys and open ridgelines stretching to the horizon under vast Kansas skies.

A herd of American bison returned to the preserve, managed by The Nature Conservancy, grazes the native grass, restoring the ancient relationship between the bison and the prairie. Trails wind through the grass-covered hills past the historic Spring Hill Ranch, an 1880s cattle operation whose buildings are preserved on the site. As one of the last great tallgrass prairies, the preserve is a treasured natural icon of Kansas and of North America.

The preserve offers hiking on trails through the tallgrass prairie (from the visitor center at the Spring Hill Ranch complex, with loop trails of varying lengths across the rolling grassland), bus tours to the far bison range (seasonal, operated by the preserve), wildlife watching (bison, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, prairie dogs, coyotes and diverse prairie birds), photography of the vast prairie skies and grass, and exploring the historic Spring Hill Ranch buildings. Hiking through the tallgrass and watching the bison herd are the signature draws. The combination of a near-intact prairie, free-roaming bison and historic ranch adds up to a rare experience.

Spring (April through June) is spectacular, when the tallgrass prairie bursts with wildflowers and the grass grows vibrantly green, and fall (September and October) brings the red and gold of the big bluestem in its autumn color, with the bison active and the skies dramatic. Summer brings the tallest grass (big bluestem can reach six feet) and the most vivid green, but also Kansas heat and humidity. Any season on the open prairie is rewarding for the big sky and the grass. Spring for wildflowers, fall for color, and any season for the bison and big-sky views are the highlights.

The Flint Hills tallgrass prairie is the homeland of the Kanza (Kaw), Osage and other peoples who lived with the prairie and the bison for thousands of years, and later the route of the Santa Fe Trail. The Spring Hill Ranch was one of the great cattle operations of the post-Civil War era, driving cattle north to market on the prairie. The preserve was established in 1996 to protect one of the last great tallgrass remnants — now protected jointly by the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve preserves this irreplaceable ecosystem and its heritage, a treasured icon of Kansas.

The Flint Hills are a distinctive geological feature of northeastern Kansas — a north-south band of resistant Permian-age limestone and flint (chert) bedrock that proved too rocky and hard for early plows, sparing it from the widespread plowing that converted nearly all of the surrounding tallgrass prairie to farmland. The thin, rocky, flint-studded soils support native grasses rather than row crops, preserving the tallgrass prairie. Fire and grazing by bison historically maintained the grass against tree encroachment. The resistant Flint Hills limestone, the rocky shallow soils and the fire-and-grazing regime created and preserved this last great tallgrass prairie.

The preserve’s tallgrass prairie supports a bison herd (managed by The Nature Conservancy), white-tailed deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, and an outstanding diversity of prairie birds — dickcissel, bobolink, upland sandpiper, greater prairie-chicken, eastern meadowlark, red-tailed hawk and many more — along with prairie-dependent reptiles and insects, including the regal fritillary butterfly. The tallgrass prairie bird diversity is exceptional. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a remarkable birding and wildlife-watching destination, with the bison, prairie-chickens and the summer insect and bird diversity on the open grass among the highlights.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve protects one of the last intact tallgrass prairie ecosystems — a complex of warm-season native grasses (big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass), forbs and wildflowers, managed by fire and bison grazing to maintain the open-grass character that this ecosystem requires. The tallgrass prairie is one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America, with less than four percent of its original extent remaining. Fire management by the NPS and TNC, and the bison herd, are the tools for maintaining prairie health. Protecting the grass, the fire regime, the bison and the diverse prairie community sustains this irreplaceable ecosystem.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve holds a treasured place among the icons of Kansas and of North America — one of the last great expanses of the tallgrass prairie that once defined the heart of the continent, where bison again roam the native grass under the vast Kansas sky, and the historic Spring Hill Ranch recalls the cattle era on the Flint Hills. On the homeland of the Kanza and Osage peoples, the preserve embodies the wild, open beauty of the tallgrass prairie. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a cherished natural icon of Kansas.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is in the Flint Hills of east-central Kansas, near the town of Strong City in Chase County, off U.S. Highway 50 (about 15 miles north of Emporia and 100 miles southwest of Kansas City). The preserve is managed jointly by the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy; the visitor center at the Spring Hill Ranch is the main entrance (no entrance fee for most areas, but the seasonal bus tour to the bison range requires a ticket). Trails are free and open during daylight hours. Check the National Park Service for visitor-center hours, bus-tour schedules and tickets, and conditions before visiting.

The National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy jointly protect the preserve and manage the bison herd, fire regime and grassland health. Visitors help by staying on designated trails and out of the bison range except on official bus tours (bison are large, fast and dangerous), not picking flowers or disturbing the prairie, staying on the roads if driving, packing out everything, and following all rules. The tallgrass prairie, the bison and the native plant communities are managed and sensitive. Protecting the grass, the bison and the prairie ecosystem sustains this irreplaceable remnant of the tallgrass sea.

Stay out of the bison range except on official bus tours — bison are large and dangerous, and the open trails are in areas separate from the bison. On trails, watch for uneven terrain in the tall grass and for rattlesnakes in the summer (common in the rocky Flint Hills). Kansas summer heat can be intense; carry water and sun protection on open-prairie hikes (little shade). Ticks are common in the tall grass (check thoroughly after hiking). Respect the bison, the rattlesnakes, the Kansas heat and the ticks.

No entrance fee for most areas; the bus tour to the bison range requires a ticket (seasonal — check the NPS for schedule and purchase). Stay out of the bison range unless on the official tour. Stay on designated trails; do not pick plants or disturb the prairie. Dogs are permitted on leash on the trails but must be kept under control. Drones are prohibited. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash. Check the National Park Service for current hours, tour schedules and rules before visiting.

The scenic town of Strong City and the nearby town of Cottonwood Falls (with the Chase County Courthouse, an 1873 limestone landmark), the Flint Hills Scenic Byway, the Z-Bar/Spring Hill Ranch historic complex within the preserve, and the Flint Hills grasslands stretching north and south across Kansas lie near the preserve. The Flint Hills define the region. The preserve anchors the prairie experience of Kansas, a centerpiece of a Flint Hills adventure, easily combined with Cottonwood Falls, the Flint Hills Scenic Byway and the limestone Flint Hills country.

Walk the trails from the Spring Hill Ranch visitor center in the early morning for prairie birds — dickcissels, meadowlarks and upland sandpipers singing from the grass, and burrowing owls at any prairie-dog town — and book the seasonal bus tour to the bison range in advance to see the herd up close. Come in spring for wildflowers and the most vivid green grass, or in fall for the red and gold of the big bluestem. Carry water (little shade on the open prairie), check for ticks in the tall grass, and drive the Flint Hills Scenic Byway to appreciate the full beauty of this vanishing ecosystem.